George Clooney May Star In Brad Bird's Sci-Fi Tale 1952

After all of the contributions that Brad Bird has made to the film world - Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - it's hard to imagine any actor turning him down for a part, and the director has used that power to snag one of the biggest A-list stars on Earth to star in his next live-action project.

Variety is reporting that George Clooney is now in talks to star in 1952, the new film Bird is directing under Disney. Based on a script by Damon Lindelof and Jeff Jensen, the project is described as being a "Close Encounters-esque tentpole" - though all details about the plot are currently being kept under wraps outside of the fact that it's about a man making contact with an alien. Disney had no comment on the matter, and the sources that leaked the information about Clooney say that the project has not yet received the green light and no actors have been officially cast.

While Clooney had two big movies last year, earning plenty of critical praise for his work on both The Ides of March and The Descendants, he has been absent for all of 2012. He will next appear in Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity, which doesn't have a set release date, but is expected to be out some time in 2013. It was also recently revealed that he will be working alongside Daniel Craig, Bill Murray and more for his next directorial effort, Monuments Men. You can read more about that title HERE.